Best Payment Gateways in the UK in 2025: How They Compare

Finding the right payment gateway can make or break your customer experience.

Whether you're running a local shop, building an online store, or serving clients overseas, choosing the right provider affects how you get paid, how quickly the money reaches your account, what you pay in fees, and how smoothly your business runs.

In this guide, we’ve reviewed the best payment gateways available in the UK and grouped them into 3 categories to match your needs:

• Best all-in-one payment gateways: Stripe, Square, Adyen
• Best online payment gateways: PayPal Braintree, Checkout.com, Shopify Payments
• Best international payment gateways: Worldpay UK, Revolut, Opayo

Let’s dive into the options that offer the right tools, rates, and reliability for your business needs. 

All-in-one payment gateways are designed to simplify how you accept payments by combining everything in one platform, from checkout and payment processing to invoicing and reporting. There's no need to set up a separate merchant account, which makes them a popular choice for small business owners, startups, and solo operators.

If you're just getting started or want fewer tools to manage, these platforms help you stay focused on your business rather than your payment stack.

In this section, we’ll look at the top three payment gateway providers in the UK: Stripe, Square, and Adyen.

Stripe is known for its powerful APIs and flexibility, but it's also a solid all-in-one solution for online businesses. It offers built-in tools like invoicing, recurring billing, and fraud protection, making it ideal for digital-first companies and platforms that need to customise the checkout experience. Stripe supports over 100 payment methods, including cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, and local payment options.

Square offers one of the most accessible payment solutions in the UK. It lets you take card payments in-person or online, create invoices, and even communicate with your team, all from the same dashboard. It is designed for businesses of all sizes and across industries, including bakeries, retail shops, professional services, healthcare, and event management.

Adyen is designed for businesses with more complex or global needs. While setup can be more involved, it offers advanced risk tools, unified commerce across channels, and international payment support. Ideal for mid-sized to large businesses that need enterprise-grade performance and flexibility.

Running an ecommerce store means your payment gateway needs to do more than just process transactions. It should offer a smooth checkout process, support the payment methods your customers expect, and help you manage refunds, subscriptions, and international orders, all while keeping fees under control and improving the overall user experience to boost checkout rates.

The best ecommerce payment gateways are built with online selling in mind. They offer:

• Easy integration with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce
• Support for major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard®, American Express), digital wallets (Google Pay and Apple Pay), and local payment options
• Reliable payout timelines and transparent pricing
• Built-in tools for fraud prevention and chargeback handling
• Flexibility to scale as your store grows

Here’s how PayPal Braintree, Checkout.com, and Shopify Payments compare for UK-based ecommerce businesses.

Braintree, a PayPal service, is a flexible payment gateway that supports credit and debit cards, digital wallets, PayPal payments, and more, all in one integration. It offers a flexible API for custom checkouts, making it ideal for ecommerce businesses seeking trusted brand recognition and global reach. Braintree also supports various local payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and ACH Direct Debit.

Checkout.com offers a developer-friendly solution for growing ecommerce businesses. It supports a wide range of international and local payment methods, real-time analytics, and advanced fraud tools. Ideal for merchants who need more control over their payment infrastructure.

If you’re already using Shopify, Shopify Payments is the most straightforward choice. It eliminates the need for a third-party payment processor, reduces transaction fees, and integrates directly with your store’s checkout, analytics, and payouts. 

Shopify Payments offers pricing plans starting at £19 per month (billed annually), with additional plans at £49 and £259 per month, depending on your store's needs. 

If your business sends or receives money across borders, choosing the right international payment gateway can make a major difference. These platforms are built to process payments in multiple currencies, offer competitive FX rates, and support local payout methods, making them ideal for global ecommerce sellers, service providers, and import/export businesses.

Unlike standard gateways, international-focused providers help reduce friction in foreign payments by offering local receiving accounts, multi-currency wallets, and strong marketplace or ERP integrations. Below, we’ll look at three strong options for UK-based businesses: Worldpay, Revolut Business, and OFX.

Worldpay is one of the UK’s most recognised payment processors, offering global payment acceptance, multi-currency settlement, and strong fraud protection. It's built for established businesses that need reliable, high-volume international payment handling. Worldpay offers quote-based pricing, ensuring tailored solutions for businesses with varying transaction volumes and processing needs.

Revolut Business gives UK companies access to local account details in multiple currencies and competitive FX rates. It combines international payments, virtual cards, and spend management in one platform, ideal for SMEs and freelancers handling cross-border transactions. Revolut Business also allows businesses to accept payments in 25+ currencies into segregated currency accounts, with a streamlined dashboard to manage, track, and settle payments quickly.

Opayo, formerly Sage Pay, is a payment solution provider owned by Elavon. It is trusted by businesses for processing online and mobile payments, with an extensive range of services and features including card terminals for processing debit and credit card payments, wireless point-of-sale terminals, and online payment solutions. Opayo offers different pricing plans ranging from £0 to £62 per month, depending on the features and transaction volume.

Now that we've explored the top payment gateway options in the UK, the final decision is up to you. Here are 5 key factors to consider when choosing the right payment system for your business:

A payment gateway handles sensitive payment information, so it’s essential to choose one with strong security features to protect both customer data and your business. A breach can lead to operational disruptions, legal issues, financial challenges, and loss of trust.

Here are important security considerations for secure payment: 

• Solid Encryption - Encryption employs algorithms to convert data into a coded format only authorised parties can decode. 
• Authentication - Authentication is the process of confirming the identities of individuals making payments. This can involve methods like passwords, PINs, or advanced biometric solutions.
• Proactive fraud prevention - Real-time transaction monitoring and instant alerts to detect and respond to any suspicious activities.
• Compliance with PCI DSS - Ensure strict compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a comprehensive standard that governs the secure handling of credit card data from major card brands.

Here are some questions you could ask providers to get an idea of their security measures

• How do you protect my and my customers’ data? 
• How do you monitor and prevent fraud and cyberattacks?
• How do you handle data breaches? What policies and procedures do you have in place?

With 70% of shopping carts abandoned due to a complicated checkout, a smooth and quick payment experience is essential for boosting sales volume. A simple, distraction-free process improves conversions and keeps customers engaged.

Additionally, an easy-to-use admin panel for managing transactions, refunds, and reports is crucial for your business operations.

Here are questions you can ask providers to understand their UX/UI:

• Which choices and features are available for modifying the appearance and user experience of the payment page?
• Does the payment page work well on different devices, browsers, and screen sizes? 
• What's included in the admin dashboard?

It’s essential to ensure that your payment gateway integrates smoothly with your existing systems, such as your website, online store, CRM, and mobile app. 

Look for functionality that supports recurring payments, if needed, and offers easy integration through APIs (for data exchange) and SDKs (for customisation). Clear documentation and reliable technical support are also important for setup and troubleshooting.

The UK’s most common payment gateway pricing models are subscription and pay-as-you-go. Subscription plans usually have lower transaction fees but come with monthly fees, while pay-as-you-go plans have no monthly fees but higher transaction costs.

Consider your sales volume, transaction size, and growth when choosing. Subscription plans suit high, consistent sales, while pay-as-you-go works for unpredictable sales.

Be sure to account for setup fees, chargebacks, refunds, international payments, and other additional costs. Always ask for a quote and clarify any potential hidden fees.

It's a reality in business that you will run into problems. 

When it comes to payment processing, expect issues like compatibility problems, operational glitches, disputes, refunds, and unexpected fees.

A reliable payment service provider should offer a support team that can promptly address and resolve those issues. They should also have good availability and flexibility in terms of contact channels, such as phone, email, and live chat.

Here are some questions you could ask providers to assess potential problems and inquire about their support:

• How do you ensure the reliability and performance of your service? 
• What is your uptime guarantee?
• What methods of contact are available? 
• What is your customer support’s average response time?

Choosing the right payment gateway is key to ensuring smooth and secure transactions. By considering factors like security, user experience, integration, pricing, and support, you can streamline your payment processes and set your business up for success. Whether you need an all-in-one solution, ecommerce features, or international capabilities, the right gateway can significantly impact your customer experience and business operations.